Welcome Visitors

You may have wondered about the surreal and dreamlike imagery in the artwork throughout McMenamins locations, especially if you have noticed the work of artist Lyle Hehn. This painting, Welcome Visitors at Hotel Oregon in McMinnville, is filled with clues to Hotel Oregon’s history and the characters who have floated in and out of this storied place since its opening in 1905. The holiday scene is set in the original lobby, when the place was named Hotel Elberton.

The keyboard, top hat, cane, gloves, and musical notes are icons that appeared on the 1940s-50s placemats at the hotel’s popular lounge, the Paragon Room. It was a fine place to meet with friends and enjoy live piano music. Mattie Hanna, manager of the Paragon Room, stands on the stairs; her green hair refers to her annual celebration of her Irish heritage on St. Patrick’s Day. 

The twins at the top of the stairs are the grandsons of Hotel Oregon’s first manager, Thomas A. White. They are dressed for the Walnut Parade. The sign above the back door reads “Walnut City,” an old moniker for McMinnville when the walnut industry was cracking, with over 117,000 trees at its peak in 1940. In the decades after, blight and storms wiped out many original orchards. By the early 1960s, local vineyards began developing the region’s thriving wine industry. The twin’s paternal great grandmother and maternal great grandfather are raising a glass by the cabinets on the right. 
The calendar in the background is frozen on May of 1950, the time of the area’s famous UFO sighting (and the impetus for McMenamins annual UFO Fest). 

The airplane is a reference to Evergreen International Aviation in McMinnville, the commercial airline and helicopter field that operated from 1960-2013. The site is now the home of Evergreen Aviation Museum.

Under the Christmas tree, we see Sally Nicolai, who ran the hotel with her husband Arnold “Nic” Nicolai from the 1940s into the 1960s. The jack-o’-lantern, turkey and Christmas tree recall all the celebrations that still reverberate through this remarkable place. 
Weaving in a personal touch, artist Lyle Hehn included his three daughters standing tall next to the Wildcat, the mascot of his alma mater, Linfield College in McMinnville.